Gawthorpe Hall
Gawthorpe Hall, near Burnley, is one of Lancashire’s most elegant historic houses, a Jacobean gem redesigned in the 1850s by Sir Charles Barry, the architect of the Houses of Parliament. Its warm sandstone façade and riverside setting give it a romantic, almost storybook quality, but the real treasures lie inside. The hall is best known for the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection, assembled by Rachel Kay‑Shuttleworth, a passionate collector and expert in needlework who dedicated her life to preserving global craft traditions. Inside, visitors can explore richly furnished Victorian rooms filled with portraits, tapestries and fine furniture. The Drawing Room and Long Gallery showcase the family’s taste for art and craftsmanship, while the Library reflects their intellectual interests. The textiles collection is the highlight: over 30,000 pieces ranging from delicate lace and embroidery to global folk costumes. Many items are displayed in rotating exhibitions, revealing extraordinary detail and skill. Another interesting feature is the connection to novelist Charlotte Brontë, who visited the hall several times; letters and displays explore her friendship with the Kay‑Shuttleworth family. The house also contains personal objects that trace centuries of family life, from children’s toys to travel souvenirs.
Padiham United Kingdom
Gawthorpe Hall is one of east Lancashire's best kept secrets and it sits right on the edge of Burnley and Padiham. You will find it at Gawthorpe Hall, Burnley Road, Padiham, Burnley BB12 8UA. The hall is tucked just off Burnley Road, beside the River Calder, between Padiham town and Burnley itself. It is an Elizabethan manor from around 1600, once home to the Shuttleworth family and now run by the National Trust and Lancashire County Council. Inside you get the original period rooms and the famous Gawthorpe Textiles Collection, which has over 14,000 pieces collected by Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth. Because it is right between Burnley and Padiham, there is a lot close by. Just across the river you have Padiham town itself and the woodland walks around Gawthorpe. In Burnley you have Towneley Hall and Park, which is a big museum and art gallery in a 14th century hall with its own parkland. If you like industrial heritage, the Queen Street Mill Textile Museum and the Weavers Triangle are not far. For a bit of a climb, Pendle Hill is about 20 minutes away, with all the Pendle Witch stories. Hoghton Tower and Samlesbury Hall are also within a half hour drive, and if you fancy a city museum, Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery and the Harris in Preston are easy to reach.